Latest news with #No12
The Irish Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Weighs us down' – Ireland legend pinpoints Aviva Stadium flaw compared to Jack Charlton glory days at old Lansdowne
GARY KELLY met ex-Italy and AC Milan star Daniele Massaro at the Aviva Stadium yesterday and was instantly transported back to USA '94. The ex-Ireland defender was part of Jack Charlton's squad to travel to the World Cup. And the Drogheda man smiled: 'When I came in first, I said, 'Is that Daniele?' I actually have his jersey from f***ing Giants' Stadium. Unreal!' Asked if Massaro has his No 12 shirt from 31 years ago, the former full-back added: 'He said he does but couldn't make out my name on the back. Do the maths!' The pair were at the Aviva Stadium to announce ticket details for And while Leeds legend Kelly, who remains a season-ticket holder at Elland Road, is looking forward to seeing his old club at the Dublin 4 ground, he admitted he still misses the feeling he got from the old Lansdowne Road. Read more in Irish football Kelly, who made his Ireland debut under Charlton ahead of that 1994 World Cup, added: 'Lansdowne Road, cold showers . . . we'd teams beaten already under Jack. Teams — the dressing rooms were cold, cement, cold water, everything was horrible, showers, flickering lights — come here now and it's nearly too nice. 'Away teams come here and go, 'Why wouldn't you want to play football in this? Let's go beat them'. 'That's another little stone around their neck to weigh Ireland down because it's beautiful, it's an absolutely immaculate stadium, isn't it?' Most read in Football Whatever about their home ground, if Ireland are to make it through this year's World Cup qualifiers and get back to America to relive memories of USA '94, Kelly reckons the team will need to be horrible. The 50-year-old continued: 'I would rather play s**t and win than play pretty and lose. Just get that winning mentality back. Shamrock Rovers snap up Northern Ireland Under-21s goal-getter as Stephen Bradley gives exciting verdict You win your home games, pick up a few points on the road, I know it's easy saying it but under Jack we've done it, under Mick McCarthy we've done it. 'We have good players. If we can get out of that group — you have to be coming second. You have to aim for the play-offs. "If we don't, it's just rip up the paper and start again. How many times can we do that? 'It's just about making Ireland tough to play against again. The pretty football doesn't suit us. 1 Gary Kelly (centre) joined by World Cup oppenent Daniele Massaro (right) and fellow Leeds legend Tony Dorigo (left) at the Aviva stadium "Here it's about letting them know it's Ireland and you are not getting away with it. At home you have to beat the teams.' Kelly also stressed the key to success for Heimir Hallgrimsson's side will not be individuals but having a togetherness. He added: 'The bite can only come back in the player if the player wants to believe in it. "The new manager has his style, I think his main thing is he wants you to fight for the jersey, close down, keep the ball. 'If our manager can get the players to believe in what he's doing and get the confidence going . . . 'When we were injured under Jack, we'd still ask could we come in because we knew there'd be a lads' night out! That's important too. "Don't put them in their rooms for three or four days, have a game of golf or a beer and get to know one another. "Get them as a whole, tight-knit, get everything going the way you want it and that will transfer on to the pitch. 'We had Saturday night out, Sunday we'd all be down in Gibney's, do a bit of training Monday and you go out and could beat Holland here! AVIVA FORTRESS 'It was just a fortress here. I know the Aviva is pretty but you have to make it horrible to come to. "Irish fans are brilliant wherever they go. Make it hostile. Make the place a fortress.' If Ireland are at the World Cup next year, which is being hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, Kelly — who won 52 caps and featured at two World Cups — will be there. He added: 'This is a great opportunity to get to the World Cup. It would be amazing for the Irish people — and they will travel. 'I don't follow Ireland around, I watch them on TV, but if they qualify for somewhere like that, you are going, everyone is going for a bit of craic and a p***-up.' GARY KELLY was speaking to announce details of Leeds United's friendly with AC Milan at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 9. Tickets go on general sale today at 10am.
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Murder of British mother in France investigated as grudge killing
French authorities are focusing their efforts on anyone who intimately knew the pair and 'may have been after' either one or both of them, said Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the prosecutor leading the investigation. On Saturday afternoon, local time, a squad of nine gendarmes and a plain-clothed officer were seen scouring for a potential murder weapon in a coppice almost a kilometre from Carter's farmhouse. A 69-year-old woman from the village was arrested on Thursday, local time, but released without charge two days later after police examined her schedule. The savagery of the attack in a commune of only 600 people that has seen no serious crime in nearly half a century has left friends and neighbours perplexed. One neighbour highlighted the disturbing similarity between the events of this week and the plot of a 1970 psychological thriller titled The Butcher, which was filmed in Tremolat. Written and directed by Claude Chabrol, the French New Wave film tells the story of a young butcher who falls in love with the head teacher of the local school while embarking on a serial-killing spree of young women in the village. On the sun-baked gravel outside Carter's farmhouse on Route de Soulaleve, the bloodstains were still visible. A blue-and-white football and a covered hot tub in the garden hint at the life she had enjoyed in the Dordogne region. Demain, nous jouerons pour toi 🩷 👑 ⚽️... Posted by Les Reines du Foot on Friday 2 May 2025 Carter was an amateur footballer for Les Reines du Foot (The Queens of Football), a local team for women aged over 50. Today, the club's Instagram account released a collage of pictures in tribute to Carter, who wore the No 12 jersey and played in midfield. 'Today, we are playing for you,' the club said in a statement. Guerrier is still deeply affected by Carter's death, according to those who know him. 'He does not want to say anything, but is fine,' said a young British woman living at his home. A close friend of the victim adamantly rejected suggestions that Carter, who had been married to her South African husband Alan for 30 years, was in a romantic relationship with Guerrier. The English-speaking woman, who declined to give her name, was parked near the murder scene this morning. Speaking through the driver's window, she told journalists: 'Karen was a wonderful person, she was one of my best friends and it's just horrific and nobody knows why or whatever. 'She had no feud with anybody. Everybody loved Karen, she was fantastic.' When asked about the extent of Guerrier's relationship with Carter, she curtly replied 'they were just friends' and drove off, declining to answer further questions. But a British expatriate, originally from Kent, who did not wish to be named, said that he believed that Carter had started a new relationship. 'I have known Karen for a while, she seemed to be fully in control of her life, a strong businesswoman who had an air of authority about her.' He added that, 'by all accounts', Carter was very happy in her new relationship but kept it quiet and was very modest. 'Crime of passion' Martine, a retired Belgian expatriate who lives a few doors away from Carter, said the murder could have been a 'crime of passion'. Speaking just outside her farmhouse as her husband carried out repair work in the background, said: 'A tragedy for her [Carter]. A love story. It's a crime of passion.' Asked if it was possibly a burglary gone wrong, she puffed out her cheeks and replied 'no'. 'From one o'clock in the afternoon [yesterday] until eight o'clock, the road was blocked, the five or six gendarmes were carrying out a crime reconstruction with the magistrate,' she added. Neighbours and business owners are uncowed by the prospect of a killer still at large. 'I'm not afraid at all,' Jean-Francois remarked as he stood in the front garden while his son played behind him. 'There is never any crime, this is the first time in 45 years.' Another woman, who gave her name as Sylvie, guffawed with laughter when asked if Tremolat had a crime problem. 'Not to my knowledge, this is the first, I hope.' Estelle Lepers, co-owner of Le Vieux Logis, a Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel in the centre of the village, said: 'You could leave your bag in a field and three days later it will still be there.' Gesturing to the chateau's panelled doors, which have welcomed British chefs Keith Floyd and Rick Stein, she said: 'My door is still open. 'It hasn't changed, this is really so incredible that this kind of thing has happened. You cannot stop living your life. 'It's so safe here, too safe, so we can't imagine that kind of thing happening. People are just waiting for the end of this story, that's it.'
Telegraph
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Tracking down Stuart Abbott: England's forgotten 2003 World Cup winner
When Stuart Abbott recalls his memories of the immediate aftermath of England's 2003 World Cup victory, it sounds something like a fever dream. There was meeting the Pope at the Vatican, popping into 10 Downing Street, a parade in front of an estimated one million supporters and sharing a bottle of Jack Daniel's with Wasps hooker Trevor Leota on the bus back from Kingston Park. 'When Trevor says drink, you drink,' Abbott recalls with a hearty chuckle on the phone from Cape Town. This was part of what Abbott terms the 'amazing high' which preceded a descent into a 'deep hole'. By his own admission, Abbott is likely to be the Pointless answer among England's 2003 World Cup winners. He was among eight players (alongside Mark Regan, Julian White, Simon Shaw, Joe Worsley, Andy Gomarsall, Paul Grayson and Dan Luger) who did not make the match-day 22 for the final against Australia. Abbott was always realistic about his prospects of playing a starring role in Australia. Will Greenwood and Mike Tindall were Sir Clive Woodward's established centre pairing and Mike Catt offered greater versatility and experience. While Abbott played in two pool games and the quarter-final victory against Wales, he knew he was likely to find himself the odd man out, but Woodward's management style meant he still had Abbott's full buy-in. 'Clive was amazing at challenging us to play our part after that,' Abbott said. 'Of course we were disappointed not to be playing, but he told us we had a bigger job than the guys who were actually playing by preparing them and playing the part of the Wallabies. He was brilliant at knowing how to get the most out of all of us.' Coming out of the tournament, Abbott was aged 25 and a potential heir to Greenwood's No 12 shirt, whom England are still struggling to locate more than 20 years later. Abbott was born and raised in South Africa to an English mother and combined a playmaking ability with a toughness that came from an upbringing in which he attended a school where caning was still commonplace. A starting place at the 2007 World Cup seemed like a logical progression point. Yet rugby does not always follow logical patterns. Player welfare was barely a concept yet alone a concrete set of practices and so Abbott was off to Newcastle the moment he got back to Wasps. 'Gats [Warren Gatland] says to myself, Worsley and Simon Shaw, you are playing against Newcastle away,' Abbott said. 'The main thing I remember was sharing a bottle of Jack Daniel's with Trevor Leota on the way home.' Just a month after getting back, Abbott was representing England again in a fixture against New Zealand Barbarians in which he injured his ankle. He returned for the ill-fated 2004 tour of New Zealand, only to suffer a shoulder injury. After a lengthy lay-off, he suffered a horrific broken leg, the result of a trip by French flanker Serge Betsen in a Heineken Cup game in January 2005. That ruled him out of the rest of the season. Hoping for a change in fortunes he moved to Harlequins in 2006 but played through a knee injury all season and by the time he did his shoulder again, Abbott had reached the end of the road. On October 24, 2007, just four days after England had lost in the World Cup final to South Africa, Abbott retired, aged just 29. 'At that point, I could not play anymore but it was actually quite a relief because I was playing with so much pain,' Abbott said. 'That last season, I was playing at 50-60 per cent. You strap it up and do what you think is right for the team, but actually I should have just got it [the knee] sorted at the time. That was a tough year. When it came to an end, I wasn't unhappy because I had not been playing well for so long. I was not able to compete like I wanted to.' Abbott had no idea what he was going to do next. He dabbled with coaching at Rosslyn Park, being an agent and digital marketing. 'I think everyone thinks they are going to start their plan B when they are playing, but the reality is only about five per cent actually do,' Abbott said. 'I definitely didn't. I was lucky enough to meet a mate who I started a business with. 'I know a lot of guys are involved in rugby, but some of us have to find other things. I think it has been tough for a lot of guys. It has been tough for me at times. Starting a business from scratch is not easy. You don't have that work experience to fall back on. It is make or break. The buck stops with you.' Abbott eventually returned to Cape Town in 2010 and now runs a successful business as a fuel wholesaler. Yet the accomplishment that Abbott seems proudest of is his involvement in Vusa rugby, a charity dedicated to providing educational and sporting opportunities to children from the Langa township in Cape Town. 'Ultimately it is about giving children the chance to play and experience things we take for granted,' Abbott said. 'I think we have had 300 kids and we have raised one million rand (£40,000) which is just fantastic.' Abbott has been involved in several of the recent reunions for the 2003 World Cup winners. Via the power of WhatsApp groups there is a lot more communication and a collective willingness to be vulnerable about personal struggles, which Abbott says simply did not exist 20 years ago. 'There is no greater feat than playing for your country and winning the World Cup,' Abbott said. 'No one has regrets about that, but it is post-World Cup and dealing with the changes. We just weren't ready for that. There was so much hype and feel-good, but then you feel quite isolated at the same time. 'It was not really something we talked about. In our day you would not even put 'mental' and 'health' together in the same sentence. We weren't being bad blokes, but it just wasn't something you talked about. It wasn't a thing. It is quite sad looking back that there were guys who were clearly struggling. We knew the risks, but you look at someone like Steve Thompson now and it is heartbreaking what you are going through.
Telegraph
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Ben Earl could play centre for England against Wales, but not Scotland
Scotland will arrive at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham smarting from a comprehensive loss against Ireland at Murrayfield. Their past record in the Calcutta Cup will provide comfort having beaten England four times in succession, including their last two visits to London. But balanced against that is the knowledge that they arrive with a side that is missing possibly four of their most creative players. Although they will hope to turn these facts into controlled belligerence, their base confidence cannot be that high. Steve Borthwick's England finally arrested their series of narrow losses by getting over the line against France, but this challenge is the equal of the French game, if not more important. A win keeps their title hopes alive and builds on the positive elements of the French game. A loss revives the old doubts and condemns them to mid-table mediocrity. For these reasons, I believe Borthwick will make few changes to his starting XV. There has been much discussion about the suggestion by former England coach Eddie Jones that Ben Earl be deployed at inside centre. Setting aside Jones' penchant for outlandish selection ideas (these included using winger Jack Nowell as a flanker), it is at least worth considering this option. Earl is a supremely dextrous player and, provided he eschews an occasional weakness for giving away needless penalties, his presence is of enormous benefit to England. Moving Earl to No 12 in the second half would allow England to make more use of their raft of back-row talent, both in the starting XV and from the bench. The back five of the scrum invariably record the highest work rates in Test-match rugby and this would allow three fresh back-five players to come off the bench. Earl has played there before during the final 20 minutes of England's 52–17 win against Japan last year prior to the New Zealand series. Assessing the success of that change is almost impossible given that England were winning comfortably when it happened, but also tactically hamstrung by having a player sent off in Charlie Ewels. What this option did show was the advantage of using Earl's ability to get over the gain line and make metres after contact. Starting Earl at centre, as opposed to moving him there later, has significant repercussions for the way England's outside centre and back three are brought into the game. Earl would also be tested far more thoroughly in defence by better teams than Japan. I have no doubt that Earl, like Owen Farrell before him, could 'do a job' at No 12 but the greater need is for England to solve their 20-year failure to establish a world-class centre partnership. If Earl is to be part of that consideration, he needs to be playing centre for his club as well as country. At this stage, it would be too risky to play Earl at centre against Scotland, but later in the tournament, namely against Wales, it could be worth a go to see if it is a viable option going forward. This centre discussion leads to Borthwick's selection of the starting No 10. If Fin Smith starts, at this stage of his fledgling career, he needs the stability of proven centres outside him. This is not just because of their familiarity with running lines and distribution, it is a question of the tactical information that experienced 12s constantly give the fly-half throughout a match. For the Scotland game, it is important that Smith settles early and is able to use his ability to let England play in the right areas of the pitch. This will deny Scotland the chance to knock England out of their stride; something they failed to do against Ireland. In England's back three, Borthwick's options would be hugely improved if Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank are fit. Should this not be so, Borthwick should retain Marcus Smith at full-back but consider Freddie Steward on the wing to counter the aerial threat of Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe. Whoever is picked on the wing, Borthwick and his attack coach Richard Wigglesworth should study how the French have remodelled their use of wingers in both strike moves from first phase and in open play. Although poor handling cost France three tries in the first half, the latitude they gave Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud to leave their wings and pose a dual threat gave England's frontline defence significant problems. Tommy Freeman and whomever is chosen to partner him have the power and ability to pose a similar threat for England. It is a question of planning for their inclusion in strike moves and allowing them the freedom to roam in loose play. Borthwick is known as a conservative coach, whatever he says to the contrary, but the potential for this innovation is now proven by the French. It is also supported by the role Freeman played in carrying the ball in the lead-up to England's opening try for Ollie Lawrence.
